When was the last time you had a hearing test? A lot of people reading this won’t be able to remember when they last had a hearing exam, right? However, seeing an audiologist for a hearing exam is imperative to ensure that your ears are functioning correctly and that you are not suffering from any sort of damage. Routine tests are important, as are tests whenever you notice any sort of symptoms of hearing loss, even if they are mild. 

After all, the sooner you get tested, the quicker you can get the help you need. Otherwise, the hearing loss can quickly get worse. With that in mind, in this blog post, we are going to explain everything that you need to know about hearing tests, including their purpose, the procedure involved and understanding the results.

Why would you need to have a hearing test?

Let’s start off by taking a look at the purpose of a hearing test. Some people may suspect that they have hearing loss. They could have trouble hearing people when they are speaking in a crowded room. Moreover, they may have been told that the volume on the television is a lot higher than it used to be. Of course, there are cases when people are unable to realize that they have hearing loss, especially adults who are isolated and live on their own. 

A hearing test helps you to get to the bottom of this. After all, there are many different reasons why someone may experience hearing loss. This includes problems with hearing that run in the family, taking certain drugs, having an infection, getting hit on the head, too much earwax, loud music, shooting guns, mowing the lawn and experiencing loud noises when you are in the workplace. 

What should you expect during the hearing test?

Now, let’s take a look at the procedure side of things. The entire process should take around half an hour, and there is no pain involved, so you do not need to worry about this. Most adults who go for a hearing test are going to be asked to wear earphones. They will then need to listen to tones that are short in length but are played at varying pitches and volumes into one ear at a time. 

Whether or not you are able to hear each sound will show whether or not you can hear low-pitched or high-pitched sounds, loud sounds or quiet sounds and whether or not your right or left ear has hearing loss. Of course, the test can differ slightly depending on the audiologist you go to see. For example, you could also be requested to listen to speech at various volumes during hearing tests, which are going to be played into one ear at a time. 

What do the results of the hearing test mean for you?

Last but not least, let’s take a look at what the results of the hearing test may mean for you. A hearing test is not a pass or fail sort of exam. However, the results can reveal whether you have hearing loss in both ears or one ear, as well as the extent of the hearing damage. How much hearing has gone? The sound intensity is measured in units that are known as decibels. So, when someone shouts in your ear, this can be 80 decibels, or even louder. Normal speech is around 60 decibels, and someone whispering in your ear is around 30 decibels. 

Therefore, if you have a normal hearing, you will have a hearing loss of up to 25 decibels. For those with mild hearing loss, you will have a loss of between 26 and 40 decibels. For the most severe and profound type of hearing loss, you will have between 91 and 100 decibels of hearing loss. There are then, of course, categories in between this and your audiologist will explain your exact hearing loss in full.

Contact Sommerville Audiology & Hearing Aid Center today if you want to book a hearing test

If you are worried that you may be experiencing any type of hearing loss, even if the symptoms are mild, it is important to book a hearing test as soon as possible. If you would like to find out more about Sommerville Audiology & Hearing Aid Center and the service that we provide, all you need to do is give us a call today for more information at 586-298-3788. We can get you booked in for a hearing test as soon as possible.